Spam Resistant Software – Top Ten

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Get rid of the spam..

There is nothing more annoying than opening your email and finding your inbox full of spam and junk mail. Many hours can be wasted sorting through the mail to find out what is genuine and what is not. Spam is the use of using electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited messages in bulk for advertising purposes. The most common form of spam is email spam, but nowadays it can be found in blogs, search engines, faxing, social networking, mobile phone messages, Internet forums and online classified ads. Besides managing the mailing lists, spammers have no costs hence the volume of spammers and phishers is growing rapidly at the expense of the general public and Internet service providers. Spam is normally sent via ‘zombie networks’ containing viruses and worms. These in turn install a ‘backdoor’ which allows the spammer access to your computer for malicious purposes. Spam filters or spam blockers can be built or added into mail servers ensuring that spam messages are blocked and do not reach the mailbox. Spam blockers are now considered a vital addition to computers both personal and business since prevention is better than cure. Below is a list of spam resistant software that are popular and easily accessible. Some are free to download, whilst others require a small payment for their services, but all of them are valuable for detecting and blocking spam and they are all listed together in one place.

Akismet was invented by the creators of WordPress and it has been fighting spam for 5 years. It is suitable for businesses as well as personal blogs and comes with a long list of plug-ins. There are free accounts, but the pro version with multiple site access is available for $50 a month. Useful tips and hints are given on the site about spam and full support is offered.

Spamassassin is part of the open-source Apache Spamassassin project with numerous packages available and is recommended for Linux. It is easy to configure and extend, flexible and comes with free software. Downloads and upgrades are available and there is a section on the site for news and announcements.

Users of Mollom send data they want checked to Mollom and in return they reply with ‘spam’, ‘ham’ or ‘unsure’. If unsure, then Captchas are used to ensure that the correct decision is made. Some of the features include multi-lingual, content quality assessment, extensive statistics, open ID, spam retainer and hidden honey-pots. CMS plug-ins are available for WordPress and Drupal and support is offered along with an FAQ and tutorials which can be found on the site. The cost is $30 per month, but there is also a free option for personal blog.

Wangguard is a new Spanish spam resistant software and offers two API keys. The free API key is for personal use and the commercial API key is available for businesses for a small fee. Wangguard is totally compatible with WordPress and offers bug tracking. The site is still under construction, but a blog has been set up and full details about the company can be found on the site.

Defensio is supported by most platforms including WordPress and Drupal and offers an open API for developers. Features include social network integration, category blocking, profanity filtering, spam quarantine and malicious content protection. An open developer API is available along with Ruby, Coldfusion, .Net, Java, Perl, PHP and Python. The management of Defensio is easy and it is free for up to 25,000 posts per month. Full details regarding installation and configuration are given on the site and help is available in the FAQ.

Spamfighter has millions of users from 27 different countries around the globe and offers a spam filter for exchange servers, an anti-spam gateway and a hosted spam filter for free with a thirty-day trial. The company has teamed up with Microsoft and if used at home the system is free whether you use Outlook, Windows, Live mail or Thunderbird. Features include domain blocking, spam abuse reporting and identity theft protection and the system is also available in several languages.

MailWasher is a free spam blocker and has over 8 million users as advertised on CNN and BBC. It is easy to use and is compatible with Outlook, Gmail, Windows, Hotmail, Thunderbird and Incredimail. Features and benefits include previews, filters, blacklisting, re-cycle bin and spam distinguishing. Mailwasher Pro can be purchased for $29.95 with the added additions of multiple email addresses and technical support 7 days a week. An FAQ is given on the site along with useful support links.

Bitdefender offers security for home users and businesses with full support and a discussion forum. The programme is available for £16.95 and is suitable for Windows, Mac or mobile. Premium services include installation and configuration, malware removal, de-bugging and tune-up with trial downloads, free anti-virus and virus scanner which can be found in tools on the site. There is a section for resources with a special offer for renewing product licences and further details provide information on the latest news and updates happening in the company.

Zone Alarm offers an anti-virus and firewall which can be downloaded for free with other security software products being available from $29.95. Zone alarm has won awards for its recognition within the computer protection industry and protects over 80 million computers from viruses, hackers, identity theft and spyware. Full support is offered on the site with quick links being available for technical services and customer support and a learning centre gives advice and guidance on the basics of Internet security.

Allume Systems, previously known as Aladdin systems was founded in 1988 and provides award winning software solutions for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and Solaris. The products include Internet Cleanup, Spring Clean and icSpyware suite and all products can be searched by category, price or by operating system. A full support section can be found on the site along with a support telephone number.